


Will Someone Tell Me What's Going on????

by InuShiek



Category: Destiny (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Head Injury, Memory Loss, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2019-01-01 01:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12145749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InuShiek/pseuds/InuShiek
Summary: Cayde's processing units are damaged during a mission. With the help of his fireteam's ghosts he comes to, but the damage to his mind isn't something that they can repair.





	Will Someone Tell Me What's Going on????

**Author's Note:**

> Eyyyyy so I did a little bit of reading about Exos yesterday and now this idea won't leave my head. Apparently the number after an exo's name is the number of times that they've lost their memories if Banshee-44's backstory is anything to go by.
> 
> I'm pretty sure this does not jive with canon, but I like it so I'm going with it. I'm pretending (??????) that Cayde, Ikora, and Zavala have been a fireteam for a long time, and this is set before they become the Vanguard. (I really wish Bungie would make a codex. Plz, Bungie. Plz.

"Watch out for that Hobgoblin!" Ikora Rey warns as she tosses a grenade at a Minotaur to serve as a distraction. The Minotaur is dangerous, but the Hobgoblin can snipe them if they aren't careful.

"I have nothing long range enough for it!" Zavala shouts, frustrated that he's out of even rockets to launch at the nuisance. "Cayde!"

"I got it," the exo says calmly as he settles his favorite sniper rifle against his shoulder. "Keep your shirt on."

Cayde rolls his head to loosen his neck. He'll have one shot to take out this Hobgoblin. Otherwise it will hunker down and repair itself. Not to mention he'll have wasted a shot and missed a chance to show up his two favorite Guardians. He raises the rifle, ready to aim. "Just keep that Minotaur off of me?" he asks, only slightly joking before he leans out from behind cover and locates his target.

He peers through the scope in time to see the Vex's own rifle grow bright and discharge.

Blinding pain erupts in his head, and Cayde tumbles backwards.

"Cayde!" Ikora and Zavala shout at once, taking their eyes off of the Vex long enough to see Cayde's ghost hover above him.

With shout, Ikora pulls energy from the void and hurls nova bombs toward both the Minotaur and the Hobgoblin. They'd been trying to save their supers for the Hydra they know is waiting for them beyond.

When the room falls silent, the human and awoken rush to Cayde's side. Ikora and Zavala can see that the metal of his head has been peeled away, revealing the damaged and ominously dark processors beneath. Zavala makes a mental note to remind Cayde- again- that he should wear his helmet.

His ghost still hasn't revived him.

"What's wrong?" Zavala asks impatiently. "Revive him."

"I'm trying," the ghost says, frustrated. "It's like he doesn't recognize me."

Ikora and Zavala share a glance. "What do you mean?" Ikora asks.

"When your ghost resurrects you, subconsciously or not, you recognize them. Cayde....doesn't recognize me.... It's like...." the ghost trails off, lights flaring brightly. "Your ghosts! The three of us should be able to bring him around! Quickly!"

The other two ghosts quickly appear and begin working on the fallen exo.

It only takes a few moments for their combined efforts to succeed, and Cayde's wounds begin to heal. Ikora and Zavala both breathe a sigh of relief when they hear their friend's systems begin booting back up.

"You scared us," Ikora admits when her ghost has returned to her, its task complete. "Time to get up. This is no time to fake sleep, we need to push forward."

Cayde's ghost twitches and hovers close to the exo's head. "Cayde?"

The exo gasps sharply, lurching upright and eyes flaring white in alarm. He scrambles back, looking among his ghost, Zavala, and Ikora quickly.

"Oh no. No no no no no. Cayde!" his ghost cries, slowly floating closer to the frightened exo. "We were too late..."

Zavala is the first to ask, "Too late for what?"

"Who the _hell_ are you and where am I?"

No one answers the exo for several long moments.

Finally, his ghost comes closer. "I'm your ghost, Cayde f-" the ghost cuts off, stopping itself from saying the exo's previous number, "Cayde-6. This is Zavala and Ikora Rey. Your fireteam. You...were injured during this mission."

Cayde's jaw works, though no lights indicate he's trying to speak, until, "Am I a guardian? I mean, if.... If I have a ghost and a fireteam, I must be a guardian, right?" He looks down at himself, noting the hand cannon and grenades strapped to his hips. "Right. Heavily armed. Guardian." He runs his hand over the tattered fabric of his cape. "Hunter. Nice."

"If this is one of your jokes it is not amusing, Cayde," Zavala warns, not wanting to believe what he's hearing. If Cayde's ghost is right- if this isn't a joke- Cayde-5 is gone forever.

The exo climbs to his feet, meeting Zavala's gaze. "A prankster? I did jokes? Sounds like something I'd like....." he murmurs, stroking his chin. "You said I was injured? What happened?"

"You took a sniper round to the head. Your processors were damaged and.....I....wasn't fast enough to revive you. I'm sorry, Cayde."

Cayde-6 shrugs, "It happens. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. So...." he looks between Ikora and Zavala, now. "I'm a guardian and we're a fireteam..... We're friends?"

"Yes-" "-Of sorts" Ikora and Zavala speak at the same time, but Cayde smiles.

"Got it, mixed feelings. Well, exos I knew who lost memories before were usually pretty much the same as their previous selves. So.....Cayde....5, right? Cayde-5 is gone, but I'm probably not much different....just....y'know.....don't have any memory of who you are..... So blank slate."

Ikora Rey finally manages to speak. "Ghost. Is he....truly gone?"

Cayde turns to look at his ghost, noting that it's outfitted with a blue shell.

The ghost gazes at Cayde for a long moment before finally turning to Ikora. "I'm sorry, Ikora. Cayde-5 is gone. This is the second time I've lost him...... 4 had a love of sparrow racing, throwing darts, and he actually sang really well, unlike 5, but they were remarkably similar beyond that...... 6....should be much the same as the Caydes before him....just....without his memories as a guardian."

Zavala and Ikora Rey can't help but stare at their fireteam member, unsure if they should mourn 5 or celebrate that they still have 6.

Cayde smiles brightly. "Hey, after we finish off this mission we're apparently on, how about we play a round of Texas Hold 'Em, have some drinks, and make new memories, huh?"

The human and awoken offer their own fond smiles, able to recognize Cayde-5's ability to put others at ease in Cayde-6 as well as realize they've got new vices to suffer through. "Can you fight? Perhaps we should hold position until backup can-"

"Fight schmight. Guns are straightforward. Functional immortality. What could go wrong? I mean, besides me taking another shot and we have this conversation all over again, of course."

"You could always wear your helmet for a change," Zavala suggests, praying that Cayde-6 will be more reasonable than Cayde-5.

Cayde-6 gasps, hand shooting up to touch his horn. "You'd have me cover up my beautiful, beautiful horn?" he asks, a smile creeping onto his face despite his mock offense.

Zavala groans at receiving the same reasoning that 5 had given him. Unwilling to press his point for now, he readies his weapon. "Then let's press forward."

"Great!" Cayde agrees, unholstering his hand cannon and following Ikora Rey and Zavala toward the large doorway. "By the way..... Who are we fighting?"


End file.
